Pieces
by PlatinumOwl
Summary: Alex has been sent to Brecon Beacons so look out. Angry and hurt, Alex looks for a way out of MI6 but what will his new unit do? Will they help him or will they bring him in? Disclaimer: Idea is mine, some characters aren't. Excuse me as I weep in a corner. Note: K-Unit later.
1. Chapter 1

Alex was screwed. Only he could manage to get shot at by both the enemy _and _his supposed "back-up". He just had to complain about his lack of back up. Figures, the one time he got it, he wouldn't have minded.

If he wasn't so exhausted he would have laughed. Running as fast as he could, Alex made for the cover of the jungle.

"_It's just surveillance. In and out, nothing difficult" Alan Blunt said calmly._

**Screw you Blunt. Surveillance my ass** he thought. Duking behind a tree he stopped to listen for shots. It was quiet. Looking down he picked up a small stone.

Careful to make sure it wasn't seen, he threw it in a low arch into bushes about thirty feet away. The bush was riddled with holes almost before the rock hit. **So they're still there, **he thought. **Great**. Looking into his pack he tried to see what had survived the waterfall.

Alex mentally snorted. Really, if they wanted to kill him, they should have just shot him while he slept, not push him off a waterfall. If villains hadn't had such a need to be dramatic he probably would have been dead long ago.

Rummaging through his hand caught a familiar shape. Alex allowed himself a small smile before schooling his expression once more. _Keep being expressionless, even when you're alone. It'll get you into the habit and one day, that habit may save your life. _As much as Alex hated Scorpia, he knew that what he had been taught was useful.

Pulling out the canister he made a mental note to give Smithers some sort of present when he got back, and he _would _get back. The canister was labeled Dynamic Red and was disguised as spray paint. Something a typical delinquent, rich man's son would have to "show the man". Twisting the top three times, Alex waited fifteen seconds before throwing the canister behind him.

"What the-?" Alex heard shouts and saw red. He knew the cover would only last a minute long and he had to move fast. Ducking into the cloud he watched for the tell-tail signs of others. He knew he was being chased by about twenty men, all armed and all relatively angry. Crouching low Alex picked up a few more stones. Blindly he started throwing them and moving around. Shouts and shots could be heard as the men acted without thought.

Moving carefully he almost fell over one of the men's' bodies. Glancing down he saw the gun. The man had been shot in the chest (Alex made a mental note of the lack of Kevlar) and was armed with both a Sig M11-A1 9mm Pistol and a Ruger SR22 RDS Rifle. For one second, one precious second, Alex hesitated. He always asked for a gun to protect himself but did he really want to go there? Did he want to give himself the chance to be a killer?

A shot hit the dirt next to him causing Alex to slip out of his thoughts and notice the situation around him. Almost subconsciously, his hand grabbed the Sig.

The smoke was clearing and any second he would be visible. Steeling himself, Alex saw the figures starting to form and raised the gun. He knew there would be no turning back, he knew that. He also knew that he was minutes away from passing out from a combination of exhaustion, starvation and his latest torture session. His back-up hadn't fed or patched him up before chucking him down the waterfall. People these days. Alex noted the targets took a deep breath and opened fire.

* * *

"Excellent job Alex." Mrs. Jones said sucking on a peppermint. Alex didn't bother acknowledging her. He just wanted to go home, see Jack, eat and then sleep for the rest of eternity. Looking across the desk he watched as Blunt continue fiddling with the files he was working on, completely ignoring him.

**Well don't worry about me, just bleeding to death over here, nothing important**, Alex thought irritated. He sighed and slumped into the plastic chair. As uncomfortable as the chair usually was, it felt like heaven to Alex. Fighting to keep awake, he glared at Blunt.

"Can I go now?" He asked, annoyance coloring his voice. Blunt continued with his files a few minutes before calling someone in to pick them up. Alex watched a man around twenty four come in. Automatically, Alex began seizing him up. He estimated his height to be around 5' 8", 235 pounds and very average.

He looked like he could be anyone, from your neighbor to the stranger at the grocery store, to a business man just trying to make a living. Typical MI6 material. Alex having been slouching and half asleep when the man was called for, now appeared sitting straight and wide awake. Without thought, his body moved into a casual position that would allow him the optimal movement.

Alex didn't notice the look of regret pass through Jones' eyes or the approval through Blunt's, he was too busy studying the new presence. Quickly, as though sensing the tension in the room, the man (Agent Harther, Alex recalled Blunt saying) picked up the files and left. As soon as the door closed Alex slouched again. He was exhausted and the bastard Blunt still hadn't dismissed him. Turning his attention back to Blunt, he glared. Blunt just stared back with a blank face.

"Can I go now?" Alex repeated his question. Blunt stared. Alex turned his glare to Mrs. Jones. He knew she had a soft spot for him and figured he'd have better luck with her. Mrs. Jones appeared slightly uncomfortable before smoothing out her expression and coolly looking back. Alex sighed.

"Why am I still here? You have what you want. Just let me go home." He said wearily, mumbling the last part. They both just stared at him before hearing a knock on the door. Alex almost groaned. Moving again into a better position, he saw Agent Harther enter.

"We have approval, sir." Blunt nodded. Closing the door he finally turned his attention to Alex.

"You're going to Brecon Beacons." Blunt said bluntly. Alex stared. 4..3..2..1..

"WHAT?!"

Blunt blinked lazily.

"You heard me. You need more training and the SAS are the best for that."

"I JUST GOT BACK FROM A MISSION. I WAS KIDNAPPED, TORTURED, THREATENED WITH HIPPOS, CHUCKED OFF A WATERFALL, SHOT AT AND YOU WANT TO SEND ME TO THAT HELL HOLE?!" Alex knew he was yelling and that would just make matters worse, but at the moment, he didn't give a damn. He had had barely three hours of sleep in the past four days, enough wounds to know that he would probably be in need of some hospitalization (Alex grimaced at this. He hated hospitals.) and they were _still_ sending him to train with the SAS? What the hell kind of logic was that?! Alex felt mildly satisfied to see Mrs. Jones slight, almost unnoticeable flinch.

Blunt's eyes narrowed on Mrs. Jones as well.

"Look," Alex said trying to calm down. "I need time to recover, not sent to train with a bunch of meatheads. I'm useful because I'm a kid right? Well, if a kid has too many injuries people will get suspicious. So how about you actually give me some down time and let me recover." Blunt turned his attention back to Alex.

"You barely survived your last mission-"

"I _always_ barely survive. How nice of you to notice."

"-which shows you need more training. You are useful and so we need you to be able to protect yourself properly." Alex snorted at this.

"Yeah, because assassin training and SAS training are going to mix wonderfully. You're insane Blunt. I need down time." Alex said with a glare.

"You are going to Brecon Beacons and that's final, unless.." Alex sighed.

"Unless what?"

"We have a bit of a situation in a city in India. Someone rather important was killed and we need someone to look into it. It shouldn't be too difficult, just surveillance-"

"No. Way. In. Hell. Your 'surveillance' and 'not difficult' have almost gotten me killed. _Repeatedly_. And that was when I was in good health. You send me in now and I won't be coming back." Mrs. Jones cleared her throat. Alex turned his glare on her.

"What?" He said.

"Alex, we aren't only sending you to Brecon Beacons for training. We're also sending you for protection. We've received reports of an organization that may be after you and we can't allow that so we thought to send you to the safest place we could think of."

"What's this organization called?" Alex asked, suspicious.

"That's classified." Blunt said, cutting off whatever Mrs. Jones had been about to say. Alex started glaring at Blunt again.

"I don't care, I'm not going."

"That's too bad. Give my apologies to Ms. Starbright." Alex narrowed his eyes.

"Why? It's not like you can deport her now. Her visa is still good for nine months."

"Well, as Mrs. Jones said, there is an organization after you and while we can protect you to a point, Ms. Starbright may have to fend for herself." Alex was furious. He knew Blunt was a heartless bastard but this was a whole new level. Sure Blunt had threatened to deport her, but now it was her _life _he was threatening. Standing up, Alex walked away.

"Pack your things, you leave in two hours." He heard Blunt call. Alex didn't stop. Blunt had won and they both knew it. Sighing, Alex started thinking about what he should tell Jack.

* * *

"Jack, I'm home." Alex called flopping onto the couch. He knew he didn't have time and should be packing but he was too tired.

"ALEX!" The call was his only warning before a second body covered his own.

"Are you okay? What happened? Is that blood? Why aren't you in a hospital? Where-"

"Jack calm down. I'm fine, just tired. Yeah that's blood but it's not all mine so don't worry. I'm not in the hospital because I have to pack. Apparently they want to send me in for more training at Brecon Beacons with the SAS." Alex explained the situation more to her and then, when she asked, started talking about what had happened on his latest mission.

Her face grew darker and darker as Alex recounted the events. When he reached the part where he had killed the men his voice cracked and he realized he was crying. **That's odd**, he thought**, I don't remember crying**. He felt Jack's arms around him and leaned into the embracing letting it all go. All the horror and pain, the fear and his own feelings of regret. Not regret for killing those men. He had already decided to not regret that, he regretted what little innocence he had left being destroyed. He had always thought killing someone in cold blood would be a big deal. That something in him would shatter or that he would at least feel _something. _But he didn't.

They had died so easily and he couldn't even regret it. Not here in Jack's arms, knowing he was there only because he had killed those men.

Alex didn't know how long he and Jack sat like that on the couch but he knew he'd have to leave soon. Standing up, he gave Jack a small smile of thanks before heading upstairs to pack.

* * *

(Sergeant POV)

The Sergeant always considered himself a reasonable man. If two men got in a fight, they would both be punished. If there was an enemy, they would be neutralized. If there was one cookie left in the jar, _he_ would eat it. All reasonable conclusions, so what the hell was he supposed to do with a kid in a camp of soldiers? Standing in front of him, the kid in question looked like he'd been through the grinder. Bruises littered his arms and neck (was that a _handprint_?!), his face and whole body in general had scratches, and his left arm was in a sling. Sergeant released a mental sigh.

"Cub." He said.

"Sir." Cub answered back sharply. Sergeant made a note of the dark circles under his eyes and wondered how much sleep he had gotten.

"What are you doing here?" He figured he might as well ask.

"Orders, sir." The Sergeant let out a real sigh this time.

"Relax Cub, you're injured and I've been ordered to give you a week before starting your actual training. You'll be assigned to J-Unit and for the following week will go with them everywhere. I've been informed that you are to be trained in everything, including the things previously barred. You will be attending all the lectures your unit does." Sergeant thought for a moment, "MI6 has also assigned you a tutor you will be meeting tomorrow to continue your studies. Your injuries appear superficial but I want you to let your team medic give you a check-up or you can go to the infirmary. The choice is yours. Understood?" Sergeant saw the slight twitch at the mention of a tutor. Strange, nothing else had surprised the kid, why would the furthering of his education shock him?

"Yes sir."

"You know where their barracks are. Get moving."

Alex sighed and rubbed his eyes with his good hand. This proved to be a slight challenge as he was also holding a bag heavy with his thing, as well as not wanting the said bag to touch his chest and the bruised ribs underneath. After walking out of the Sergeants office, Alex had let out his own sigh. The Sergeant had acted oddly…human. He had expected yelling and curses. Not-, whatever that was. Don't get him wrong, Alex was grateful but it was still disconcerting.

Alex considered his situation. On one hand, at least he wouldn't be with K-unit, but on the other Alex had become at least friendly with Snake and Ben, Wolf was still an unknown variable, but he had sent that get well card so who knows. Besides, J-Unit could prove to be even worse than K-Unit had. Also the medic situation. Alex grimaced. He couldn't disobey Sergeant blatantly and not get a check-up. Still he didn't want his unit to know about all the scars so soon. That would lead to questions, unnecessary questions that would only get him more trouble.

Deciding to go to the infirmary first, Alex picked up his bag and headed south. It took him a few minutes to find the infirmary; after all, it had been two years since he had last been here. At sixteen, Alex was still being forced to work for the bastards at MI6. Heading in he saw the curious looks shot his way. Going to the desk he cleared his throat. The man looked up.

"What?"

"Sergeant ordered me here for a once over." Alex said, his voice neutral and face blank. The man looked annoyed.

"Who are you?

"My name's Cub." The man barely looked at him, typing something on the computer. Finishing he stood up and motioned for Alex to follow. _**Straight, left, two hallways down, another left, three doors down and a right, first room on the left.**_Alex took careful note of the way to the room**. **_**Always know the way out.**_ Alex thought remembering a particularly bad mission involving a shifting maze. Alex suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Honestly, all that money and, once again, instead of just shooting him, the mad man of the day sent him into an ever changing maze with a few Rottweiler's on his tail. Why that man had a shifting maze Alex would never know. After all, even before he had picked up that gun, all his enemies had had a way of dying in the process of being defeated.

Sometimes Alex wondered about that. Was he really any better than an assassin? Assassins killed people for a living and Alex had a way of killing the people he was set against, accidentally or not. The only difference Alex could see was the pay and intention and so far, that wasn't meaning much. Alex was brought out of his thoughts by a knock. Looking up he saw a rather small man looking at him. The man had buzz cut black hair, wide green eyes that made him seen younger than he probably was and thin lips. He looked around 5'6' and seemed well built**. Of course he's well built, this **_**is**_** the SAS**, Alex thought irritated. Walking quickly with purpose and a grim look on his face, he motioned for Alex to sit on a gurney.

"I'm Dr. Richards. You must be Cub." He said moving to check his pulse. Alex nodded even though it wasn't a question. The doctor didn't say much after that. Just things like "lift your arms", "take a deep breath", "does this hurt?" Doctor things. Soon though, the doctor asked Alex to remove his shirt. Alex hesitated.

"Everything you see stays within this room right. The whole doctor-patient confidentiality thing?" He asked. The doctor raised a brow.

"He speaks. But to answer your question, yes. Why?" Alex didn't answer and simply removed his shirt. He saw the doctors eyes widen in surprise. His chest and stomach were covered in scars and wounds both old and new. He felt the doctor's hand run lightly along the stitches on his stomach. He spent a few minutes asking questions again, his voice noticeably subdued. When his hands landed on the bullet wound he broke the professionalism.

"How did this happen?" Alex stared at the ground.

"Classified." He looked up to see the doctor frowning, Motioning for him to turn around, Alex heard a gasp as he saw his back. While captured, one of his torturers had an attachment to a particularly twisted whip. The whip was similar to a nine-tails only it was made of a soft material that also conducted electricity. Every whip wound had been stanched almost immediately by the burn so the man hadn't had to worry about blood loss. Alex felt the hands touch his back and winced.

"What medications do they have you on?" Dr. Richards asked in a slightly strangled voice. Alex started listing them.

"Those are all weak pain killers. Didn't they give you anything stronger?" Alex hesitated before shaking his head.

"They don't want me to get addicted." He said quietly. The rest of the check-up went in silence. Dr. Richards checked the rest of his bandages and tested his shoulder. When they had finally finished the doctor shook his head.

"What the hell have you been doing?" Alex pulled on his shirt.

"Classified." Alex started walking out when the doctor stopped him.

"If you start feeling any more pain than you already do, I want you to come here immediately. Doesn't matter the time. Some of those wounds are serious and, if infected, can prove fatal. No heroics, understand?" Alex didn't turn around, but couldn't help a smile at the genuine concern in the doctor's voice. Alex nodded, knowing the doctor could see him and started heading towards J-Units barracks. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad as he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

(Previously)

_Alex didn't turn around but couldn't help a smile at the genuine concern in the doctors voice. Alex nodded again, knowing he could see him and started heading towards J-Units barracks. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad as he thought._

Alex stared. This wasn't what he had been expecting at all.

"BAT, GET YOUR ASS BACK OVER HERE SO I CAN POUND IT!" A muscular Caucasian man with sandy blonde hair and grey blue eyes shouted. His face flushed as he chased another guy. The guy running from him, with tan skin, dark brown hair and almost black eyes, laughed.

"Sorry bro, I don't swing that way." He called with a whoop before running towards the door and almost slamming into Alex. Seeing Alex he froze, the blonde guy took his chance and jumped on the darker man (Bat, Alex noted) and pinned him to the ground.

"You are dead." The blonde guy growled, smirking at a still frozen Bat.

"Leopard, look up." The other man, Leopard, looked up and froze as well. He blinked.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Alex suppressed the urge to flinch. Scrambling up, Leopard glared at Alex.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" He growled. Alex was about to answer when Bat intervened.

"God, you're such an ass Leo. Hey kid? You lost or something?" Bat said kindly. Alex stared. This was not going the way he thought it would.

"…no." Bat looked confused.

"Then what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I'm Cub; I've been assigned to this unit. This is J-Unit, right?" Alex asked praying he would be told it wasn't.

"Wait. You've been _assigned_ to us. As in, you're a _part of this unit_?!" And there was Leopard again. Alex just nodded before walking in. Seeing all the bunks occupied he went to the last one on the left. Dropping his bag he let himself collapse onto the bed with a groan of relief. He had napped in the car on the way here, but some actual sleep would be wonderful.

"Oi, we're not done here! What in the bloody hell is a school boy doing in a training camp for the SAS?!" Alex didn't even bother looking up.

"Classified. Look, I really need some sleep, so if you don't mind, please leave me alone." Alex thought for a moment. "Also, don't get too close to me while I'm asleep, I have a habit of considering most people threats unless I hear a specific code word." Without further ado Alex fell into blissful slumber.

* * *

"Yeah but he's a kid. Children aren't supposed to be here." Alex heard Leopard argue.

"Doesn't matter. We have our orders. Besides, I asked Sergeant why he was here too. Do you know what he told me? Classified. We all know what that means. Who knows, maybe he's some agents kid sent here for protection or something." A new voice said sounding weary.

"That makes sense. I mean, that kid looks like hell. I wonder if he's been to the infirmary. Maybe I should give him a check-up." Bat pitched in.

**So Bat's the medic. **Alex thought.** I'll avoid him. **Deciding they weren't going to give anything else away, Alex sat up. None of J-Unit noticed as they were all facing away from him and towards the door.

Silently, Alex got up and began to change. By the time he was done they still hadn't noticed. Walking up to them Alex cleared his throat and watched Leopard jump a few feet.

"Jeez brat. Make some noise. Don't sneak up on people like that." He growled. Alex took a moment to survey them. He'd already seen Leopard and Bat, so Alex turned his attention to the new comer. The new comer was easily the shortest out of the three at around 5'5" but was well-muscled and had a commanding presence. Black hair cropped close and dark blue eyes stuck out at Alex. This man was different from the other two, probably the team leader.

Bat was the first to speak. Alex absently wondered if Bat would end up being the mediator.

"Hey Cub, you're up."

Alex just stared at him.

"No shit Sherlock." Leopard snorted. The newcomer hit him over the head.

"I'm Tiger, J-Unit's leader. What are you doing here?" Well, he got to the point fast.

"Classified." Alex replied quickly.

Leopard snorted.

"See, I told you. This brat probably doesn't know anything anyway. I mean, who would tell some snot nosed brat things they wouldn't tell us?" Alex wanted to laugh. **You'd be surprised, **Alex thought, thinking of all the mad men who had gone on and on about their plans, until Alex finally managed to shut them up.

"Do you know why you're here?" Bat asked, obviously curious. Alex considered saying classified but decided against it. He may not want to be here but he still was, and having an entire unit bent of extracting information would just complicate it.

"For training, same as you guys." Alex said with a shrug.

"How old are you?" Bat asked, not letting it go.

Alex paused.

"Old enough." He said quietly. A tense silence fell over the space.

"We have a survival lecture. You coming?" Tiger asked, breaking the silence. After a moment of silence, he nodded.

* * *

Alex stifled a yawn. The survival lecture was about informative as a pamphlet Alex remembered reading in third grade. Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad but still. Alex was pretty sure anyone could figure out not to use living wood for fires if they were trying to hide, and really, did the teacher honestly think it was necessary to tell them tell them not to eat unidentified fruits and berries. Only an idiot would do that.

"I'm sorry. Are we boring you?" Alex looked up startled. The instructor was glaring at him. Alex wanted to groan. **First day back and I've already pissed someone off. **

"No sir." The instructor smirked. **This isn't going to end well, is it?**

"Well then, maybe you could tell us the five reasons green wood is a no-go for fires." Alex hesitated. Should he answer correctly? Even if he hadn't been paying the least amount of attention, it was pretty obvious. Mentally, Alex shrugged. **Screw it.**

"Smoke, lasting time, difficult starting, possible toxic fumes depending on type and more difficult to remove from the tree itself." The instructor had stopped smirking and Alex had to fight to keep a smirk off his own face.

"Fine." He said curtly and went back to his lecture. Alex frowned. **That's it? **He had expected more.

The rest of the lesson went by unbearably slow for Alex. The instructor had called on him a few more times but had otherwise left him alone. Standing up, Alex had to stop himself from wincing. His back was killing him. Walking carefully, he left the hut with J-Unit. None of them spoke as they went back to the barracks.

Alex was relieved. He didn't want to answer any questions. He wasn't sure which ones he could or couldn't answer. **Stupid MI6. **Silence held as they each went to their respective bunks. It lasted a grand total of three minutes and 28 seconds (Alex was counting).

"You're our new sniper then? "

Alex's eyebrow rose a few centimeters.

"What?" He asked Bat.

"Our new sniper. Lynx is off active duty and is currently in the hospital. He was our sniper and you're the only new person to show up so…"

Leopard snorted.

"Yeah right. The kid's probably never touched a gun, much less shot one." Tiger, however, looked thoughtful.

"Can you shoot Cub?"

Alex hesitated.

"Yes." MI6 had one twisted sense of humor. Leopard choked on his water.

"Wait, you can actually shoot?" Alex nodded. Leopard jumped to his feet.

"Fine, let's go to the firing range." Tiger glanced at him.

"S-Unit is using it right now."

Leopard didn't calm down.

"S-Unit only has four people, there are at least eleven stalls, plenty of room." Tiger sighed and gave in.

"Fine, but you need to get their permission." Leopard smiled.

"Easy."

* * *

"Can we not do this?" Alex asked for the millionth time in the past twenty minutes. Leopard shook his head, smirking.

"Nope. You said you could shoot. Prove it. Now." Alex sighed and looked at the guns on display. Thinking carefully he chose a Winchester .45 Magnum. Alex grimaced. It felt calming and familiar in his hands. He didn't like that.

Walking up to the indicated stall he cleared his mind. _Never shoot when emotional. Clear your mind and relax. The gun is a part of you. _Relaxing Alex stared at the target (just had to be human shaped now didn't it) for a few seconds before bring the gun up and firing continuously. In less than a minute he had finished the first clip, quickly he loaded another and continued firing.

Alex wasn't sure how many clips he used since he had automatically reloaded every time he ran out. The more he fired the more tension eased out of him until he felt completely at ease. Soon he was done, finding there were no more clips. Taking off his mufflers he looked at J-Unit.

"Satisfied?" Alex asked calmly.

They nodded mutely. Bat walked forward and retrieved the target. Alex grimaced at the results. He hadn't missed a single shot. There were only three holes in it, two showed the passing of more than one bullet while one looked like a perfect circle. Alex would have congratulated himself except for where the holes were located. Heart, center chest and head. All killing shots. Alex hadn't even thought about it, rotating from each of the three points as he fired. They had been automatic. Looking up warily he glanced at the others to see their reactions.

Bat looked pensive and a bit worried; Tiger seemed to have a thoughtful look and small traces of concern. Alex didn't understand the worry or concern. He had just proved he could have their backs. Why be worried or concerned? Only Leopard had the reaction Alex had been expecting. Plain shock and disbelief covered his face. Alex smirked at him.

"Good job Cub, guess military intelligence knew what they were doing." Tiger said. Alex dropped the smirk. He didn't want to think about MI6.

"Thank you." He said mechanically. Tiger and Bat looked at him strangely, even Leopard looked curious. Quickly, Alex blanked his expression.

"I'll be going back to the barracks now." Alex said walking away. While he had been shooting he was able to forget everything. All the pain from his injuries, how much he missed Jack, the irritation at being at Brecon Beacons, even his anger at MI6. All of it was forgotten but now the pain from his injuries on his arm, chest and back were starting to ache.

He needed to leave before he felt too much pain. Alex spared a second to wonder if the other two shots would have been perfect circles as well if he wasn't injured but dismissed the thought. He didn't want to be good at killing.

**But you'll need to be. **A small voice whispered.

Alex frowned.

**Shut up.**

Going into the barracks he looked at the clock. 11:34 am. Alex still had time before lunch. He wondered if he should go to the infirmary. Glancing around, he saw his bed. Suddenly he was exhausted. The infirmary could wait. He was tired. Lying carefully so as to not aggravate his injuries any more, Alex fell asleep.

* * *

"Should we wake him up?"

"I don't know. He'll miss lunch if we don't so..yes?"

"Aww, look who's a mother hen."

"Shut up Leopard."

"Hurry up and wake him Bat, we're running out of time."

"Fine." Bat started towards Alex and froze.

"Guys." Bat said quietly. "Did any of you take back the gun?" Leopard looked at Bat's back and frowned.

"No, why?"

"Cause he's pointing it at me."

"What?!" Leopard was up and had moved towards Bat to get a better look. Sure enough, a sleeping Cub had Badger at gun point. Tiger assessed the situation.

"Try to call him." Tiger said motioning at Bat. Bat still hadn't moved.

"Cub. Cub, wake up. It's me Bat. Cub, damn it kid. Wake the hell up." Bat was startled when he felt someone behind him. Not turning his head he waited. Tiger moved just past Bat and closer to Alex. Alex's hand moved and now the gun was pointing at Tiger almost touching him.

Calmly, Tiger moved closer until the nuzzle touched him. With ease he reached a hand out to shake Alex's shoulder. Alex pulled the trigger.

_Click_

The gun wasn't loaded. Bat almost had a heart attack and slumped to the floor. Tiger however, acted as though nothing had happened.

"He used up all the rounds at the firing range." He said in explanation, shaking Alex. Alex opened his eyes and looked around confused before he suddenly straightened. Bringing his hand back he noticed the gun and sighed.

"Well, it's a good thing it wasn't loaded." Then he frowned. He was usually able to tell when the weapon he had was useless, just by the weight. He was losing his edge. Looking up, he saw J-Unit glaring at him, even Bat.

"What was that?" Tiger asked in a cool voice. Alex shifted uncomfortably.

"I did warn you guys not to come near me when I'm asleep." He said looking at the ground. Leopard and Bat looked confused.

"When I first got here and fell asleep." Alex elaborated. Bat nodded slowly in understanding while Leopard still looked confused.

"That didn't answer my question." Tiger said quietly, but Alex noticed his voice wasn't quiet as cold as it had been before.

"What do you want me to say?" Alex asked glaring at Tiger. Tiger narrowed his eyes.

"I want you to tell us why a sixteen year old automatically attacks anything that gets close to him when asleep." Alex looked at him sharply.

"How did you-"

"I have a copy of your file. There wasn't much in it, but your age was." Tiger said calmly.

"I don't usually. I just got back from a mission though, so I'm still getting used to being safe." Alex thought about it.

"Ish. Safe-ish." He amended. Still glaring at the floor, Alex didn't notice the identical looks of concern on J-unit's faces.

"You go on missions?" Alex winced slightly. He probably wasn't supposed to tell them. **Why? Because MI6 said so? Who cares what they think? **One part of Alex scoffed. _**No because it's my personal life and these people are practically strangers**_**. **Another stated. **So don't tell them anything personal. They don't need to know anything personal to know you go on missions. **_**They'll ask questions. **_The second voice argued. **Then don't answer them. **The first voice replied bluntly. Alex took a moment to wonder if he was going insane.

He thought about all his missions up until now and all the things he had done.

Probably.

"Yeah." Alex said and almost winced again. His voice sounded pathetically soft.

"Who sends you?"

"MI6." He said still glaring at the ground like it was the cause of all his troubles.

"Why?" Alex looked up incredulous.

"What do you mean why? Because they send me." Alex said in confusion.

"They have other employees and the SAS. Why you?" Alex sighed.

"Hell if I know. Probably because I'm still considered a kid. People don't expect agencies to send kids in. Look, can we not talk about this? I don't know how much I can tell you." Leopard scoffed.

"As though your clearance is any higher, I bet your just too sc-"

"Enough Leopard." Tiger cut in sharply sending him a glare.

"How many missions have you been on?" He said turning back to Alex.

"Look, like I said, can we not talk about this. Lunch is almost over, we have to hurry." At that Leopard and looked at the clock and swore but Bat and Tiger kept staring at him.

"How many Cub?" Tiger asked gently. Alex sighed.

"Officially? 17. Unofficially? Around 21." Tiger swore lightly under his breath. Grabbing Alex by the arm he pulled him up.

"Come on." He said turning around. Alex followed.

"Where are we going?" He asked a bit timidly.

"The Sergeants office." Alex froze. No no no no. He couldn't.

"No." Alex said startling Tiger with the amount of force in his words.

"Why not?" Tiger asked annoyed.

"Why go?" Alex asked back. They stared at each other a few moments.

"Cub, this isn't right. It's child abuse. What do your parents know about this?" Tiger said, eyes hard.

"They're dead." Alex said in a flat voice. Tiger eyes softened slightly.

"I'm sorry." Alex shook his head.

"Don't be. I never knew them, they died when I was one." J-Unit looked at each other confused.

"Then who takes care of you?" Bat asked.

"My uncle did. He died two years ago. Now it's just me and Jack" Alex said, his voice still flat. He saw Bat's look of sympathy but didn't acknowledge it. He didn't need pity.

"Whose Jack?" Leopard asked. Alex hesitated. He didn't want to share Jack. **Such a baby. **_**Shut up.**_

"She was a house-keeper my uncle hired to take care of me when he went away on business trips, which turned out to be a lot."

"She's your guardian then?"

Alex slowly shook his head.

"MI6 have legal custody over me." Bat blanched.

"Is that why they can send you? How did they even get custody?!"

Alex shrugged.

"My dad and uncle were both MI6 agents. When my uncle died he had left me to them in his will. I don't think this is quiet what he had in mind of course. At least, not this early." Alex couldn't stop the bitterness from entering his voice. He knew his Ian was just trying to make sure he could hold his own in this world but Alex couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he hadn't. Would MI6 not have been interested in him? Would they have left him alone? Leopard's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean 'this early'?" He all but growled. Alex was surprised. He didn't think Leopard cared.

"Ian, my uncle, had been training me to be a spy practically since I could walk. Karate lessons, hiking, diving, traveling around the world, pick-pocketing," He saw the twitch of a suppressed smile appear on Tiger's face. Interesting." hacking, the whole lot. He probably intended for me to be his replacement." Bat was shaking his head.

"Runs in the family, does it?" Alex shrugged again, but couldn't help a small smile.

"Yeah, I guess." Tiger just shook his head.

"Well, we've basically missed lunch now thanks to this, so we better get going." Tiger frowned.

"I've been told you're to spend the first week here recuperating, Cub. Are you injured?" Alex saw Bat look up sharply and felt his face close off.

"I'm fine." He said mechanically. Tiger looked like he was about to say something when, surprisingly enough, Bat interrupted.

"Alright then. You've already had a check-up at the infirmary then?" Bat asked casually.

Alex nodded suspicious. Medics never let things off that easily. Bat nodded sagely.

"Then it's alright, isn't it? Come on guys, we have an obstacle course to run." Alex stayed on his bed eyeing Bat as the others filed out. Bat stopped at the door way.

"I'll be asking Dr. Richards for his notes on your check-up since I'm the unit's medic."

Alex paused.

"How did you know it was Dr. Richards?" He heard Bat laugh.

"I didn't, thanks for that." Alex wanted to bang his head against the wall. How did he fall for that? Alex let out a groan. A medic that would leave him alone? He knew it was too good to be true.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the reviews guys! Especially **Apple in the Ocean, MLM24, V.I.D. Vishii, IWannaLightSaber** (me too bro, me too) and **MonstersUnderYourBed

**Ahh, I blame Bat. *Ducks behind bullet proof wall***

**Bat – WHAT?! It wasn't my fault you didn't update!**

**Author – Sshhh. They don't need to know.**

**Bat – You owe me. **

**Author – Fine, fine. I'll let you beat Leopard at your guys stupid competitions.**

**Bat – Stupid? I'll have you know, those competitions are to determine strength, speed, endur-**

**Author – Yeah, yeah. I think it's time we got on with the story, don't you.**

"So what do you think?" Bat asked. Tiger glanced at him and sighed.

"I don't know. It's obvious he's been screwed over by a lot of people, there's not much we can do."

"That's not good enough." Leopard growled. Tiger appraised him.

"What happened to '_he's not our problem_' and '_he's just a snot nosed kid_'?" Tiger asked. Leopard looked away.

"You know. This…_thing_..changes it. He's gone through shit and he doesn't have any family. I've got three brothers and two sisters myself." Leopard said awkwardly. Bat whistled.

"And somehow, you're _still_ an antisocial asshole." Leopard growled and tackled Bat to the floor. Tiger smiled at their antics.

"Come on guys, get up. Bat, did you get his medical?" Bat untangled himself from Leopard.

"Is the moon made of cheese?" Bat snorted.

"Have you looked through them yet?" Tiger asked. Bat shook his head.

"I was waiting for you guys. Thought you might want to see it too."

Leopard nodded in approval but Tiger frowned.

"I don't think that would be a very good idea." Tiger stated looking at them. Leopard glared back.

"Why not? We want more information, right?." Leopard asked, irritated at his team mates reluctance. Tiger shuffled, uncomfortable.

"Yeah but, like you said, the kid has obviously been screwed over by people, repeatedly. Do we really want to be added to that list?" Tiger asked trying to get his point across. Bat looked thoughtful and a bit guilty while Leopard just looked angry.

"How is knowing his medical history screwing him over?" Leopard demanded.

"Because maybe he doesn't want you to know." A new voice spoke.

"Cub! How long have you been there?" Bat asked startled and a bit sheepish.

"Long enough." Alex replied, eyes cold. He stared at Bat and Leopard until they each looked away. Slowly he turned his gaze to Tiger.

"Thanks." He said his gaze softening slightly. Tiger nodded before shuffling at the uncomfortable silence.

"We have martial arts in a few minutes. We should go." Tiger said breaking it. Bat shot him a thankful look, which Tiger promptly ignored. He turned to Alex.

"If Badger finds anything in your medical record that might be a problem, we will be informed."

Alex stared at him a moment before nodding. He could understand that. Tiger smiled slightly.

"Come on. I wasn't kidding about the few minutes thing."

* * *

"Damn it Cub!" Leopard shouted. Alex smirked.

"Do you yield?" He asked holding a pinned Leopard to the floor.

"Like hell!" Leopard yelled back, struggling vainly. Alex continued holding him down, a bored expression creeping onto his face.

"Isn't there a time limit or something?" He asked looking at Tiger.

"It's until the other person yields, so…no. Not really." Tiger said with a shrug. The first time Alex had beaten Leopard, he had been shocked. How could a kid, an _injured_ kid, take someone like Leopard down? But after the third or so time the shock had given way to amusement.

"Look, just give in already. It's almost time for dinner and we already have kitchen duty." Alex said as patiently as he could. He honestly had no idea how much longer he could hold Leopard down. What with his injuries, even if they were partly healed.

"No way in hell!" Leopard shouted struggling harder. Alex sighed then paused for a moment. **Yeah, that could work. **

"If I knock him out will it be counted as an automatic yield?" He asked. Bat looked thoughtful.

"Yeah, I guess it would." He finally said with a shrug. Relieved, Alex reached to press a spot on Leopards neck.

"Last chance." Alex said, hand hovering. Deciding that the string of curses he was receiving were a negative, Alex quickly pressed the spot and released the now unconscious man.

"Whew, and this is how you are injured? Remind me not to be your sparring partner." Bat whistled under his breath.

"What can I say? When you're good, you're good." Alex said smirking. Tiger shook his head, before knocking Alex outside his.

"Cocky brat." Alex smiled. "So, can we go to lunch now or…?"

Tiger nodded before glancing at Leopard again.

"Cub, where did you learn to do that?" Tiger asked, curious. Alex froze.

"Just…something I picked up along the way. You know how it is." Alex said casually, moving to leave. Tiger narrowed his eyes.

"No actually I don't. Please, feel free to explain."

"Well then, thanks for the offer but I'm hungry so…." Alex replied smoothly, trying to get around Tiger.

"No. We're going to talk about this Cub. Now." Tiger said moving in front of Alex.

Alex sighed.

"It- I was trained." Alex said reluctantly with just a trace of bitterness. Bat watched him curiously, but just before he could ask Tiger cut in.

"Alright. That's all I wanted to know."

Alex relaxed, walking to the door he stopped.

"Thanks Tiger."

"Anytime."

* * *

"Well how do we wake him up then?"

"We could always throw something."

"Shut up Leopard."

"Ouch. Jeez, you didn't _both_ have to hit me."

"Yes we did."

"Shut up Bat."

"Back on point, maybe we should just say his name. If he can feel someone approaching then I'm sure he will respond to his own name."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"God Bat, you're one stupid sh-"

"Knock it off you two. Alex, hey Alex. Wake up." Tiger said in the most unthreatening voice he could muster. Alex suddenly slumped.

"Umm, Bat, was that supposed to happen?" Leopard asked, curiously.

"I think…I think we just found his safe word, or phrase. Tiger, what exactly did you say?" Bat asked.

"I said, 'hey Alex. Wake up." Tiger replied, slightly apprehensive. Alex, having been tensing slightly, slumped again.

"Alex?" Bat ventured. No reaction.

"Maybe it was 'wake up'?" Leopard said before also receiving no reaction.

"You're both idiots." Tiger said before saying something the other two couldn't hear and then grabbing Alex's shoulder and shaking it. Both Bat and Leopard cringed slightly waiting for the reaction. Slightly disappointed when all they got was a groan.

"Jack? Mhhm, what time is it? Am I late for school?" Alex asked groggily, glancing around. Seeing Tiger, he tensed for a moment before recognizing him and relaxing slightly.

"So you figured it out." Alex stated not sounding surprised at all.

Tiger shrugged.

"It made sense."

"Wait, what did we miss?" Bat asked confused.

"Should we tell them?" Tiger inquired, a small smirk forming on his lips. Alex glanced between Bat and Leopard.

"Nah, let them figure it out themselves." He replied, a smirk of his own growing.

Bat groaned. He knew this was revenge for the medical file. Leopard just continued to look confused.

"When's breakfast?" Alex asked, breaking a slowly growing silence. Tiger glanced at the clock and blanched.

"About five minutes ago. Cub, I swear, if we miss one more meal because of you.."

Alex nodded quickly, an angry Tiger was not something he wanted.

* * *

"So…are we there yet?"

Bat started pretending to bang his head on the dash.

"No, Cub. We weren't there a minute ago, we aren't there now." Tiger said through clenched teeth.

"I'm a teenager stuck in a car with _nothing to do_ for _four_ hours. I'm _bored_." Alex whined. Tigers arm twitched.

Alex chuckled silently to himself. **You know, when we were thinking about revenge, I wasn't expecting this. **_**Maybe, but it's more fun this way, right? **_**Point made. **

To be fair, Alex ad every right to be an annoying little prick. Especially since Unit Assholes decided to abuse the ability to approach Alex in his sleep. If they were allowed to annoy him, he was allowed to do the same. And did he ever.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Alex called from the back seat.

"You just went five minutes ago!" Bat exclaimed, exhausted. He glared at a sleeping Leopard in jealously. He didn't have to deal with the brat.

"But now I have to go again." Alex whined in his most obnoxious voice.

"That's it!" Tiger yelled before slamming the breaks. Alex held onto his seat belt for dear life while trying to decide if he had gone too far. Tiger exited the vehicle.

"Ugh, what was that? Are we under attack?" A tired Leopard asked, glancing around lazily. Alex punched him.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"Being an idiot." Alex replied before also leaving the vehicle.

"Tiger, Tiger, wait."

"What."

"Wow, that wasn't even a question. Uhm, okay, yeah, sorry about that, I promise not to annoy you anymore." Alex pleaded (though he'd never admit it) while glancing around nervously.

"Just give me a little time."

"Are you alright? You're not usually so easy to rile." Alex stated, unable to help himself. Tiger sighed.

"I know Alex, it's just, some stuff has happened recently and I just- I need time to think. That's why I volunteered us for the survival course down in Miami."

"What happened Jake? You know we're a team now, you can tell me." Alex said softly. It had been obvious something had been bothering the tea leader for a while now. Despite his first impression, or maybe because of it, Alex had easily grown use to the weird group. It had taken some time, but now he honestly felt like he was part of them, and that he could rely on them, though he still kept things to himself.

"I don't know if I _can_ tell you."

Alex stiffened.

"MI6?"

Apparently deciding this was going to be a long conversation, Tiger slumped down under the large oak they had reached.

"Something like that. It's my cousin. He used to be in the SAS but transferred to MI6…I think he's in trouble. He told me he was onto something big and that he might not be able to contact me as usual, but it's been months of radio silence now and I'm worried."

"Do you want me to check?" Alex asked. Tiger looked up.

"What?"

"Do. You. Want. Me. To. Check?"

"Damn it Cub, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I hacked into MI6 database a wile ago, if you want I can check on him right now." Alex explained pulling out a cell phone.

"Where did you get- nevermind. What do you need to know?"

"His agent I.D."

"That's all? 6792740128." Tiger listed, leaning forward slightly.

Quickly, Alex typed in the code. The results were almost instant. Alex blanched.

"Jake. What's your last name?" Alex asked tightly.

"Daniels. Jake Daniels. Why?"


End file.
